With today's technology, getting from one point to another is as easy as typing in an address or printing out directions, but soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, I Corps, went back to basics to navigate a six-mile course as part of a weeklong battalion training exercise.

The "Trailblazers" received training on how to plot points on a map, measure out the distance and create a route during mounted land navigation training at Joint Base Lewis-McChord's Leschi Town training area, Jan 20-22.

The training led to something much more as it was used at the end of the week in a large-scale situation training exercise.

"I learned a lot today about reading a map and making sure you properly plot the points," said Pfc. Bassheen Doss, human resources specialist, Headquarters Support Company, HHB. "I'm sure it will help me at the end of the week."

Using a military map and performing mounted land navigation is a perishable skill that Soldiers train on routinely.

"In today's Army, we hardly walk anywhere anymore," said Staff Sgt. Mike Sonnenberg, instructor of the class and an ammunition specialist assigned to HSC. "They need to know how to be in a vehicle and get from point A to point B."

Sonnenberg, a native of Tacoma, Washington, spoke about why he wanted to teach the class.

"It has helped me greatly in the past,' said Sonnenberg. "I got lost when I was in Kuwait and over there all you have to look at are the dead roads with nothing in sight. Using land navigation, we were able to find out where we were and get back on point."

For Doss, this was his first time conducting the training and he knew he had to pay attention.

"It is important to learn mounted land navigation so you can always know where you are going," said Doss, a native of Chicago. "Sometimes you might not be able to use your electronics to find a location so it is on you to be able to navigate properly."

The most important thing Doss took away from the training?

"You want to make sure you have as much accuracy as possible so that way you know you will never get lost," he said.

Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Porch is with the 28th Public Affairs Detachment.